Minnesota Family Law Practice Manual, 3rd ed. (Lexis, 2001) Reserve Room KFM5494.A6 D3 2001. This title discusses and explains the law while the footnotes point to the statutes and leading cases. Volume 2 contains forms.

When a child's preference will be taken into account by the court in making a custody decision will depend on many factors. A good explanation can be found in the
Minnesota Family Law Practice Manual, § 5.17 Subsection E.

A Note About Emergency EX PARTE Motions: Emergency custody issues are treated at the end of the Self-Help Center's forms page. Be sure to carefully review the statutes and rules linked on that page. Generic motion forms are available from Ramsey County (in Word format) and Dakota County. You should be prepared to explain in your affidavit how the child is in immediate danger.

Family members who are taking over care of children whose parents cannot care for them may find the following book useful: Legal Steps: a Kinship Caregiver Resource Manual, from the Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association.

DISCLAIMER: As librarians and not lawyers, we can suggest
resources but cannot give legal advice (such as which form to file), or legal
opinions, (such as how a statute might apply to particular facts.) To
do so could be considered the unauthorized practice of law. Even though
we try to suggest materials that will be of help, further research is usually
required to find a complete and correct answer. For many questions, the
best answer may be to consult an attorney. For links to resources on
finding an attorney, see http://www.lawlibrary.state.mn.us/selfhelp.html#atty.